So what's the opinions around here on fasting?
None of us ever really do it; is it because it's pointless? Or is it something crucial we are missing from our nutritional plans?
I did a 1 day fast a few days ago. Not sure if it helped me any. All I had all day was 10 Fish oil capsules, a multivitamin, and lots of water and green tea, and fiber supplements. The crap I had the day after was dense dark and smelly
I can only take that to mean I did a good job 'cleansing' my bowels or whatever. I didn't feel overly hungry or anything, and I had a normal amount of energy the next day after a good breakfast.
So does anyone else here fast regularly? or at all? Is it silly or is it useful?
Some fast because of religious beliefs. Others may fast based on certain material they read without investigating the data behind what they read to learn the quality and validity behind it.
The first 24 hours (
dependent heavily on the previous trend history of diet), will not (or should not) have too much of a severe impact on the person. Again, this can depend on the person's previous trend leading "into this one day fast".
What I don't like about it is this: Basically one would be expending their personal base in calories and additional calories dependent upon activities. It will set a one day period of potentially catabolic state, and the next day's normal eating habits "could be spent" just replenishing what was used the day before (such as glucose stores).
I term it catabolic anytime you use inner biological energy to supply fuel for normal biological functions and activities that is not actively replaced and refueled during normal eating habits. Such as a traditional deficit diet.
For example. It is absolutely possible that during a 24 hour fast, the body will revert to its glucose stores to supply the brain and other parts of the body its fuel needed for normal physical function and external activity, which means one's glucose stores can diminish within this 24 hour period.
The activity of using some of its glucose stores can possibly save the use of muscle and fat storage as fuel (dependent on the persons previous trend history, etc). This is especially true if one is weight training within this fast. So for example, if one is working out (and lets say 5 grams of carbohydrates is used during a hard working set, as--->
an example), ones glucose stores can get depleted rather quickly, and this isn't including one's personal base calorie need expenditure, and other activity that expends energy (calories).
Continuing
the "example". If one "theoretically" has a 2,000c of glucose stored (because of previous diet trend history, and I realize this can vary per person), a base need of 1,600 calories, and an activity need of say 2800 calories (base + activity calories), and consume "nothing" for 24 hours, one has to approximate that the 1600c is used up automatically by the body because this is a need in calories one needs if they laid stiff in a coma all day. This leaves 1200 approximate calories expended in activity (keeping things hypothetically equal, here). And, within this 1200 calories expended is one hour of weight training--heightening the use of carbohydrates and use of glucose stores (the severity of carbohydrate use will depend on the intensity and type of the workout). Now, do the mathematics "approximation" in this example, and make a determination. This is not an optimal condition for muscle growth or one wanting to be anabolic.
And, if this trend of absolutely no calories continues, the body is going to have "no choice" biologically, but to revert to its internal stores (calories from glucose in organs, etc), and have a party eating its own tissue (both fat and muscle) over time.
It will have to find energy some place--and ITS ALWAYS AROUND whether you eat or not. It may not be the choices you like, but its always around nonetheless, until such time that even with the body's biological processes (and metabolic shifts), it will not be able to overcome the lack of food, and one can die of starvation over a length of time (severe case).
Best wishes
Chillen
